Convocation

The Convocation theme is a series of lectures held each year presenting a major scholar of national reputation to the campus community. Students, faculty, staff, and community guests gather for a Convocation address on a major subject by prominent figures such as anthropologist Richard Leakey, author Dr. Maya Angelou, musician Sarah Caldwell, biologists Dr. James Watson and Dr. Ruth Hubbard, philosopher Dr. Robert Nozick, historian Dr. Christopher Lasch, environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, population geneticist Dr. Spencer Wells, and civil and children’s rights advocate Marian Wright Edelman. A panel discussion on a related topic typically follows the lecture. A convocation theme is chosen based on the speaker's topic of interest and various events take place throughout the year that are consistent with this theme.